Angers me when I see overweight people with handicapped placards.
I look and try to discern if they have any mobility problems other than overweight.

They are the ones who should be walking further to the stores.

To save fuel and pollution, I park at distant parking spaces. (This also reduces chances of dents and shopping carts rolling into my vehicle.)
I don't drive around wasting time, fuel, and causing wear and tear looking for a closer space.
My wife and I get out, walk, pick up a shopping cart or two, and wheel them into the store.
We use stairs rather than elevators.

What about people who ride their bikes to the store and see you parking your car?

We all have choices, and every one of us lives with the consequences. If a fat person wants to park in the handicapped spot so that they don't have to walk as far, that decision is between them and their doctor.

If they can live with it I can live with it. I have no desire to park in the handicapped spot.

Besides, how are you so all-fired sure that their obesity is the reason they have a handicapped placard in the first place?

Maybe they're obese because their disability prevents them from exercising and, thus, keeping their weight down. Or perhaps they have some medical condition that warrants a handicapped placard, for which one of the treatments/medications causes weight gain?

I hope I didn't come off as obtrusive there - I certainly didn't mean to be.

It's great that you park at the end of the lot and walk. I think with rising health costs people are going to become more and more sensitive to the decisions that others make because we're all paying for it in one way or an other.

She parks in a handicapped space, north of Dillards at Park Meadows.
My wife and I could see NO HINT of a mobility problem.
She and passenger get out of her car, she easily walks around to another vehicle parked in the next handicapped spot - Were they seeing if it was handicapped placarded?

After watching her walk with ease, I confronted her about it as she strolled into Dillards without any problem whatsoever.
I told her the spaces are reserved for HANDICAPPED people with MOBILITY problems.

Do doctors give some patients placards as perks?
This certainly appeared so.

The way I see it, if the state has seen fit to issue someone a handicap placard, it's not anyone else's business to judge whether they "deserve" it or not.

And for the record, the placards are NOT only for people with mobility problems. People with certain vision, cardiac, and pulmonary conditions, or with any disability that would be aggravated by walking further than a certain distance are also qualified to receive on.

Unless you have x-ray vision, ESP, and a medical degree, you are not in any position to say who is or is not qualified to have a placard.

Why not save your hostility for those who deserve it...like those who don't have a handicapped placard but use the handicapped spaces anyway, because they're just "running in for a minute."

She showed no signs of anything mentioned above.
Later we saw her well inside the Mall, near about 1/3rd from the south end.
She sure walked a long way, again without any sign of difficulty, pain, or fatigue. (As one who had been in EMS for years, and lived with a physical therapist, I can recognize problems with gait, pain, out-of-breath, etc.)

I think she is abusing the privilege.
Sad thing about this is that you can't prove it.

Like the guy who collected a huge insurance payment, then bragged he was going to "...go to church and have a most remarkable "healing" ever seen."

NativeD wrote:The way I see it, if the state has seen fit to issue someone a handicap placard, it's not anyone else's business to judge whether they "deserve" it or not.

And for the record, the placards are NOT only for people with mobility problems. People with certain vision, cardiac, and pulmonary conditions, or with any disability that would be aggravated by walking further than a certain distance are also qualified to receive on.

Unless you have x-ray vision, ESP, and a medical degree, you are not in any position to say who is or is not qualified to have a placard.

Why not save your hostility for those who deserve it...like those who don't have a handicapped placard but use the handicapped spaces anyway, because they're just "running in for a minute."

I think that Robert's point didn't really have anything to do with what the person in his story's real problem was. I think the point was if someone is morbidly obese and this causes them to have issues with mobility, all else constant, should they be given a handicapped parking placard? I don't think it was hostile - it was just a question to spark discussion.

I hope that someone with vision problems severe enough to merit a handicapped permit is the passenger, not the driver.

The discussion started with the question of whether obese people deserve handicapped parking placards, but it turned into a round denunciation of drivers with parking placards who don't "look" like they need it.

My only point is that it's not my (or Robert's or anyone besides the doctor, the disabled person, and the state's) business.

An MD, other than her own, cannot discern if her placard and use of a handicapped parking space is justified.
Considering the distance and ease with which she was walking in the mall, I'd say absolutely not.
According to Native, this abuse is apparently no one's business.
Let the abuse continue.

I am an obese person. I am fortunate enough to be in great physical condition. I park further away from the entrance of stores and never think twice about it. I am not obese due to laziness or overeating. But you never know what another persons health condition is. I am glad you are so much better than everyone else, but others have problems that you are not privy to know. You are only ems, not a MD. So until you finish medical school or become God, keep your ill informed judgements to yourself.

Good heavens, are you a parking Godwin's Law or just a nosy busybody, judging people without knowing anything about them other than that they have a handicapped plackard.

I have a handicapped plackard. I am overweight. On a good day I look and walk perfectly normally. But I still use the reserved spots because my MS can kick in quickly. Who are you to decide when I should be able to use close in handicapped parking and when I shouldn't? Who are you to follow anyone around trying to ferret out some possible abuse of handicapped parking? Do I now have to worry about having you bustle up to me in a self-righteous snit just because I am having a good day and am walking as far as I can?

You need to get a life and start worrying about your own "handicap" of the soul.

A guy I knew personally got a placard from his MD, though he knows he does not deserve it.

He wants and enjoys the privilege.
And he needs the exersize to lose weight.

In Newport Beach, where I was caring for a handicapped person, I saw an Expedition pull into a handicapped space. (Amazing the snow problems they must have as evidenced by all the big new 4-wheel drive SUVs there!)
Out emerged 4 healthy teen-agers.
A blue handicapped placard hung from the mirror.

It was for the mother who had hurt her leg surfing.
She was home.

The rich kids knew they had no right to use the space.
But they only occupied it 20 minutes.

And this makes you an expert on "handicapped" "cheaters"? Multiple personal anecdotes do not equal statistics. And your nasty bias is obvious. I am sorry for the people you "assist" if the price of your assistance is this kind of judgmental nattering.

I have no idea what your real experience is, but as an honestly handicapped person, I can tell you that your negative attitude and your judgmental opinions are offensive. You need to take care of your own handicap before "assisting" others.

You can pretend these handicapped space abusers don't exist.
I won't.
I've seen it.

Wish I could do something about it.
But no one can legally prove it.

So those who really need the space have to find another.

Here in Denver, at many stores we often have too many handicapped spaces.
I have never seen even 50% in use.

But sometimes, I'll see just one available. Until it is taken by a woman who displays absolutely no mobility handicap throughout her jaunt through the mall. (We did not follow her. We noticed her at the other end.)
Do mental handicaps qualify?

Here in Denver, at many stores we often have too many handicapped spaces.I have never seen even 50% in use.

But sometimes, I'll see just one available. Until it is taken by a woman who displays absolutely no mobility handicap throughout her jaunt through the mall. (We did not follow her. We noticed her at the other end.)Do mental handicaps qualify?

So, is the greater good served by an inquisition to hound and snuff out a few potential but unproven "abusers"? Or is the greater good better served by supporting the broader, honestly handicapped community?

But before you answer that question, please explain how you came to be annointed judge and jury on all maybe/possibly/unproven "abusers"?

Aren't we all supposed to be innocent until proven guilty? Did God tell you to identify and pontificate about all potential (but not proven) abusers? Or icould it (maybe, possibly) be a better use of your righteous energy to promote and advocate for the honestly handicapped?

Is your goal to find someone, anyone, to judge and punish? Or is it your goal to promote a broader understanding and acceptance of handicapped but still productive (I work a full time job, thank you very much) and/or the truly needy?

Don't get anywhere near me. I don't want the "assistance" of a bigot. Take you smug, blindly judgmental attititude elsewhere. Far, far away from those of us who can make our own judgments, our own decisions, and our own destinies.

Last point: I've NEVER found ALL handicapped parking spaces full, so who cares who is "abusing" the so-called "privilage" of access to handicapped parking?

Sorry for my tirade last night, but your insensitivity touched a very raw nerve.

I have enough problems with people staring on days when I have foot placement difficulties (I hear assume-the-worse comments like "is she drunk?") and people who actually draw back with a pitiful distaste on their face if they notice my tremors.

So it seriously creeps me out to know that on a blessed good day, when I appear "normal", that there's still going to be people like you out there judging me, following me and maybe even getting in my face over something that is none of your business.

Some people are drawn to the handicapped for rather disturbed, even psychotic reasons. I sincerely hope you are not one of them. I also sincerely hope that you never approach me, never send judgmental vibes my way -- on either a good day when I can walk the length of the mall, or a bad day when every step is precarious and painful.

I hope you have lots of good days.
And yes, there may be people like me who will unfairly judge you.
I know I could have been observing that woman on a "good" day.

The issue is mobility.

If one is able to walk OK, without pain, unsteadiness, weakness, fatique, then why use handicapped parking?

When my leg was injured by a large rock, I still parked distant to leave closer spaces for the elderly and others who need them.
My physical therapist understood I knew it is better that I walk.

Despite diabetic neuropathy, my California friend did not use his mirror placard when not needed.
He followed my "leave the spaces for those who need them".
When he did need the space, I'd drop him off right at the door, and park elsewhere.
My wife and I gather shopping carts left in wheelchair spaces and take them into the store with us.